The exhibit hall at this year’s Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., boasted the usual fan favorites—books, author talks, new product demos, robots, mascots, and all the swag fit for a canvas bag. Attendees weren’t exactly sure what to expect from ALA’s first major in-person conference since the start of the pandemic, but the energy was palpable, the reunions were touching, and the smiles were evident—even under the masks. Here are some memorable moments, clockwise from top right:
Steph McHugh (left) and Mary Hamer (right), media specialists and librarians at Yorkville (Ill.) Community Unit School District 115, pose with author Rosemary Wells during a signing of her book If You Believe in Me.
María Daniela “Dani” Thurber, reference librarian in the Hispanic Reading Room of the Library of Congress and immediate past president of the District of Columbia Library Association, makes a conductive bracelet at the Tech Test Pilot Playground.
Luke Sutherland, access services specialist at Montgomery College Library in Takoma Park, Maryland, creates a page for the #alaac22 collaborative zine in the Zine Pavilion.
Shayna Szabo, youth services librarian at LA County (Calif.) Library, pets Oliver, a rabbit from Peacebunny Island, an island on the Mississippi River where rabbits are trained to become comfort and emotional support animals.
